This application claims the priority of German application 196 31 941.2 filed in Germany on Aug. 8, 1996, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention relates to a mount for a cover in a housing, especially a selector lever housing.
Covers always are subject to the problem of mounting them so that they fit exactly on a housing. Especially in housings for selector levers, but also in other housings in which operating elements project through the cover, the additional problem arises that the selector lever or operating element is intended to move in the openings in the cover provided for the purpose with tolerances that are as close as possible.
A goal of the invention is to provide a mount for a cover that can be mounted simply without adjustment and fits exactly.
This goal is achieved according to the invention by providing an arrangement comprising a first bearing point formed by respective mating cylindrical surfaces on the cover and housing with a cylinder axis extending parallel to a placement installation direction of the cover on the housing, and a second bearing point formed by respective mating wedge-shaped surfaces on the cover and housing, with a wedge axis lying in a plane perpendicular to the placement direction of the cover and not parallel to a tangent at the first bearing point. Two bearing points serve as a mount for a cover. The first bearing point is made cylindrical and the axis of this cylinder extends parallel to a mounting direction or placement direction of the cover. The second bearing point is made wedge-shaped and the axis of the wedge lies in a plane perpendicular to the mounting direction and/or placement direction (in other words, parallel to the cover as a rule) and is aligned so that it is not parallel to a tangent at the first cylindrical bearing point (does not extend through the cylindrical first bearing point). According to one advantageous feature of certain preferred embodiments of the invention, fastening means such as screws and the like are used to fasten the cover in the vicinity of the two bearing points. As a result, exact positioning of the cover is further improved since the forces of the fastening means act directly on the bearing points.
It is also contemplated according to certain preferred embodiments of the invention to insert the fastening means into the axis of the cylinder, especially in the case of a cylindrical bearing point. This simplifies the manufacture of a corresponding cover since a single stepped bore in the cover provides both the receptacle for the bearing point and the through opening for the mounting means.
It has been found to be advantageous In the case of the second wedge-shaped bearing point to arrange the axis of the wedge parallel to the principal lengthwise dimension of the opening of the cover so that lengthwise tolerances in the cover can be accepted without the positioning of the selector lever or the operating element with respect to the opening being changed.
It is also contemplated in certain preferred embodiments to provide for a cover that is held at the two bearing points as described above to extend over other assemblies, for example another housing. In the case of such covers, it was previously known to position the cover centrally relative to the positions of two housings, and to secure it there. On the other hand, the proposed design makes it possible to position the cover relative to a single housing and thus ensure for example that an operating element projecting out of this housing can be guided with low tolerances though an opening provided in the cover.
Moreover, in this connection, if the cover is mounted on the other assemblies or housings by means of mounting elements that are float-mounted, assurance is also provided that no stresses can develop inside the cover, even with position tolerances between the individual assemblies or housings.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.